The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of product handling equipment provided with clamping claws or clamps for seizing and holding and/or manipulating different products or articles, hereinafter simply referred to as products, by means of clamping jaws of each clamp which, when such clamp is closed, form a clamp or clamping gap.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of product handling equipment provided with at least one clamp or clamping claw for the handling of the products in a safe, reliable and positive manner.
Another and more specific object of the present invention relates to an improved construction of product handling equipment incorporating a clamp having a novel coaction of the clamp with the handled product or products, especially printed products so as to afford protective handling and manipulation of such products.
Still a further object of this invention relates to improved equipment for the handling of products, such as printed products arriving in a fish-scale or overlapping staggered formation, such as newspapers, periodicals and the like, wherein such equipment is provided with a plurality of clamps for the safe, reliable and positive engagement and manipulation of the printed products.
Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the invention is concerned with a new and improved construction of product handling equipment having clamps for engaging the products, each such clamp possessing clamping jaws which when assuming their open position move away from one another in the extension of the clamping gap and towards one another in their closing or closed position.
During operation of the clamp, the product to be seized is introduced into the opened clamp mouth and the clamp and/or the product first thereafter is rotated into a position corresponding to the desired position of the clamping gap or a position of the clamping gap determined by the shape of the product by and/or during the movement of the clamp jaws into their closed position.
By virtue of the previously mentioned constructional and functional aspects of the clamp, there are realized advantageous features which considerably exceed those prevailing with conventional fields of use of prior art clamp constructions.